Reflecting on 25 years: a conversation with our Managing Director Sabine Stotz

I was a postdoc at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, specialising in immunology when the company founder, Niki Schmidt, contacted me through a mutual connection. We shared a passion for science and communications, and Niki felt that I was a good fit for what he hoped to achieve with the company – to offer high-quality project management expertise to the pharmaceutical industry. My scientific background was a key benefit for the company – particularly for our work on pulmonary hypertension (PH). I was just the third employee!

After a few years as project manager, the team began to grow and I was promoted to team lead, with responsibility for growing one of our key core accounts. As we hired more medical writers, our business expanded in two core areas: project management and medical writing, with a particular focus on rare diseases.

After Niki retired, I assumed the role of Managing Director, with Ian Leighton as Scientific Director. Valuing a collaborative approach to leadership, we welcomed Fabrizio Canonaco and Karen Holmes to the Executive Board. This year, we joined Cactus Life Sciences, marking another new chapter for the business.

COVID was a significant challenge, and we initially weren’t sure how we would navigate it as a company. However, we emerged stronger, maintaining the team spirit despite the tough times. We have now adopted a hybrid work approach, with the face-to-face time remaining extremely valuable.

I also look back with pride on an annual client meeting in Amsterdam in 2010. Immediately prior to the event, the volcanic ash cloud In Iceland caused travel chaos across Europe, resulting in all sorts of disruptions for speakers and attendees of the event. Many had to change travel plans at the last minute, or had to cancel. We made the decision to proceed with the meeting, but we needed to make many adjustments to the agenda and overall format of the meeting. Our work was rewarded when many praised the event as one of the best. This was a great example of our team’s resilience and stamina.

Building up the PH therapeutic area with our client has been a long-term achievement and one I am very proud of. We helped to establish expert centres, trained physicians to detect PH, and partnered to educate and inform the healthcare community about PH. The scientific focus of the annual PH Forum made a real difference. We’ve been running the PH Forum since its inception, setting the bar high. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see it evolve and improve each year.  From a personal perspective, I am very proud of our team for always delivering and exceeding expectations.

The first major milestone was the expansion from a pure project management company to also offering medical communications. Then, between 2004 and 2006, the company expanded significantly, moving into a new building and taking on more clients.

In 2008, we opened our UK office led by Karen. In 2014, Niki stepped down and we transitioned to a collaborative Executive Board approach to leadership.

The COVID pandemic in 2020 brought many challenges and changes, but we emerged stronger. And this year, we are excited to join Cactus Life Sciences, marking the beginning of the next stage of nspm’s evolution.

Digital advancements have of course significantly reduced paper-based information, making data available almost immediately rather than relying on postal systems. Alongside the shift to virtual and hybrid meetings, regulations have become more stringent over the last 25 years, increasing accountability. This has led to less luxury at medical events, and a greater focus on education and science. These changes have been positive for the pharmaceutical industry, fostering stronger relationships based on what really matters – scientific collaboration between pharmaceutical organisations, physicians and patients.

The medcomms industry is becoming more competitive, with decreasing budgets requiring us to be more creative and innovative with our solutions. Pharmaceutical companies are less willing to take risks on new drugs, resulting in more ‘me too’ medications. Patient dynamics are also shifting, with life expectancy in the US declining for the first time, prompting a different focus for the pharmaceutical industry. Health spending will impact pharma and medcomms in the coming years.

The future looks very bright. The integration of nspm and CLS is in full flow, and we are already seeing the first benefits. It was very exciting and enjoyable to attend the recent CLS get-together in Mumbai and to meet so many motivated, talented people there. While new technologies continue to help us be more efficient and provide new opportunities for communication, our people remain at the heart of what we do. I am very excited about the coming years and look forward to finding out what the future holds.